Andre was back in the bunker-styled basement of the Jamaican store. But he was no longer alone. Now he was seated on the bed while Jamar stood with the girl sat in a wooden chair beside him.

  He had questions, but they had more, and apparently, they were important.

  “Since she can’t keep her head out mi business, the gyal stays.” Jamar said to her, “Mi met her when she was a lil’ girl. Trust er’ wit mi life. Her name Claudette but she go by Ceeecee.” Jamar said to Andre.

  Andre looked at her for a moment before Jamar started speaking again.

  “Now, since mi can see ya’ brain back, what's yuh’ name, kitty-bwoy?” Jamar asked.

  Andre cleared his throat, “A-andre.”

  “Ok A-Andre, where ya from, bwoy?”

  “Cattlecove.” Andre replied.

  “Damn….. boy from the woods, J. I didn’t know there were any Cats up there.” Ceecee said.

  “Cats everywhere, gyal.” Jamar said in a dark tone.

  “How olf ya be, bwoy’? twendy'-tree? Foh?” Jamar asked.

  Andre flattened out the wrinkles of the blanket he sat on, “Seventeen.”

  “He’s younger than me.”

  “…..we mature… faster.” Andre repeated.

  “Who?” Ceecee asked quickly.

  “Mmmmmm, da’ boy right. Ferals get grown size quick. How mi forget?” Jamar seemed to laugh at some memory to himself.

  “How’d you end up in Empire City? It don’t look like you drove here.” Ceecee asked.

  “We were driving…..” Andre could still hear the ambient music and cars whizzing past him. “The cops….. they..”

  “Dey do what dey do.” Jamar finished.

  Ceecee had a more explosive reaction as her eyes widened, “That bridge crash was you…?”

  Andre looked up at her suddenly.

  Jamar looked from Ceecee to Andre, “What now?”

  Ceecee raised an eyebrow at Jamar, “Man, you still ain’t reading the paper? Or watching the news?”

  “Mi nuh wan’ no propoganda, gyal.” Jamar spat.

  “There was a crash on the west-exit highway. Five people died in the lake including a police officer. They’re looking for a cop-killer, J. They’re looking for him.”

  “I…. they pulled us over. But they said we were good. Then—”

  “They rammed you off the highway.” Ceecee finished.

  “Dey try kill em’….” Jamar said.

  “….my mom.” Andre’s voice shook. He clenched his jaw and shut his eyes. He could feel the spots spreading across his skin like a blanket from back home. He kept them there. He held onto the warmth.

  Ceecee stiffened in her seat. Jamar leaned on his cane a little more strongly.

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  “Mi don’ want yuh’ to speak on it if yuh’ go wild from it.” Jamar said in a quieter voice. “Yuh’ haven’ known yuh become dis for long, no?”

  Andre looked up at him, “…..I have no idea what you just said.”

  Ceecee smiled faintly but maintained her discomfort, “He was assuming you haven’t known what you are for very long. You know... a Cat. Like me.”

  “What’s today?” Andre asked.

  “Wednesday Morning, October eighteenth.” Ceecee replied.

  “I just woke up from the fever yesterday morning.”

  Ceecee’s eyes went wide again. Jamar nodded with a smile like he knew something.

  "You…..” Ceecee turned to Jamar with a look of disbelief on her face. Her hoop earrings swung in the dark basement..

  “Dem’ Feral be strong.”

  “What?” Andre said.

  “You killed a fully Matured Stray Cat… and you’re a kit.” Ceecee seemed dumbfounded.

  “No, Rakshasa.” Andre said, “They had tiger stripes.”

  Jamar stopped smiling, “Bomboclaaaat…..they know you’re here already.”

  “What?” Andre said.

  “The Rakshasa are Tariq’s special forces for special missions. If you see stripes, its over for you….. most times. He only sends them out when he knows they’re needed. Guess he needed more.” Ceecee explained.

  Jamar turned to Ceecee, “Da kitty-bwoy don’ smell like outsider….”

  Ceecee sniffed in his direction before making a face, “No… not really. That’s why I didn’t notice him inside. But how….?”

  “Da cop he kill musta wet himself up before he bit it…..Mi was wrong bout’ ya, kitty-bwoy. You are a baaaad man.” Jamar nodded and scrunched his face up until he had wrinkles and creases all over.

  Ceecee looked back to Andre and saw him waiting for her. She explained, “Tariq has the Rakshasa Cats mark every Cat in the city so outsiders are easy to spot. Rakshasa’s have foul ass piss. It smells like if stepped on dope could rot like eggs. The scent sticks to you forever. You must’ve got it on you when you killed the one trying to take you. It’s how you were able to move through the city and not be noticed right away. The way you look? I think that Cat thought he ran into a demon.”

  Andre didn’t want to go back there. But there wasn’t much else to do, “My mom said she’ll find me.”

  “Yuh mudda is caught, kitty-bwoy.” Jamar said.

  Ceecee looked at him in surprise.

  “Tariq knew da two uh’ you were comin from dem' forests. Since he knows, he won’t hurt ya' mom. Not till’ he can use ah to bring yuh to ’im. Tariq dem’ be cerebral like dat.”

  “Then take me to him.” Andre said quickly.

  “Bwoy…” Jamar lowered his glasses, revealing two missing eyes. Clawed out based on the scarring.

  Andre sat up straighter.

  “Tariq ah’ kill the both ah’ you da worst way. Bomboclaaaaat, he ah’ kill all of us.”

  Andre stood up, causing everyone else to move as well, “So what, you just want me to stay hiding down here while she’s locked up somewhere?”

  “For now? Yes. You go need sum’ learnin, A-Andre. Dis’ city here ain’ no sweet forest. Is a jungle, an’ everyting sum kinda poisonous. See if ya can survive first.”

  Andre got up and paced at the back of the room like a caged animal.

  “You got any more of that beef, J?” Ceecee whispered nervously.

  “He no wan’ beef. He wan’ air.” Jamar said before clicking his teeth at Andre, “Kitty-bwoy, since yuh’ be marked, yuh’ be unseen. Keep yuh hood up an’ go explorin wit Ceecee.”

  “Man, what? Don’t make me babysitter for the hulk!" Ceecee snapped.

  Jamar wagged his finger at her, “Not babysitter, gyal. Guide. Dis one here could be sumting, but he ah’ have to learn. Jus like mi teach you, ya’ go teach him.”

  Ceecee glared at him.

  “Am’ sure ya can relate to da bwoy…. now get. Mi go open up da store. No more money wastin or da Riq’ man go sense sumting!” Jamar headed out. As he stomped up the stairs he yelled back to them, “Tell da boy hide dem’ curls or da ladies ah’ rip him up good before da Riq’ man eva do.”

  Ceecee’s mask of frustration broke. “Alright, J.” She turned back to Andre who’d stopped pacing. “You good?” Her braids swayed down her back in the sudden stillness.

  Andre nodded.

  “Ok then. Lets bounce.” Ceecee headed for the stairs.

  Andre followed.

  As she walked up, he noticed she had a tattoo on her lower back between her hoodie and belt of her pants. She spun around quickly as if she could feel him looking, “Oh yea and Old-man J wasn’t playing. Put that hood up.”

  Andre put his hood up, stuffing his hair inside.

  When they stepped out of the stairway, Jamar was already in the kitchen cooking. He turned on the radio and dancehall music blasted through the building.

  “Check da counter!” He had to yell over the music with so much force they could hear him straining.

  “Thank you.” Ceecee yelled to him-- almost effortlessly, before grabbing up two paper plates of oxtails slathered in herbal sauces.

  Andre’s mouth watered but he kept his composure until Ceecee handed him a plate.

  “This should help you stay calm.” Ceecee said. “It’s easier to stay in control when we not hungry.”

  Andre nodded, “I remember that one.”

  “Good. The spices also block out our smell a little bit. So we can stay lowkey."

  Everything had a purpose. A piece in the puzzle. Andre had been to one place and already felt overwhelmed. Even so, he followed the girl with a commanding voice and lion eyes under long lashes. He had no choice. Whatever got him closer to his mom.

  With that being said, the two headed out into the City of Lions.